Radical equations : math literacy and civil rights / Robert P. Moses and Charles E. Cobb, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Moses, Robert Parris.

Contributor:

Cobb, Charles E., Jr.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Minorities--Civil rights--United States.

Minorities.

Minorities--Education--United States.

Algebra--Study and teaching (Middle school)--United States.

Algebra.

Mathematics--Study and teaching (Middle school)--United States.

Mathematics.

Literacy--United States.

Literacy.

Social justice--United States.

Social justice.

African Americans--Civil rights--Southern States--History--20th century.

African Americans.

Civil rights movements--Southern States--History--20th century.

Civil rights movements.

United States--Social conditions--1980-.

United States.

United States--Race relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 p.)

Place of Publication:

Boston : Beacon Press, c2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The remarkable story of the Algebra Project, a community-based effort to develop math-science literacy in disadvantaged schools--as told by the program's founder "Bob Moses was a hero of mine. His quiet confidence helped shape the civil rights movement, and he inspired generations of young people looking to make a difference"-- Barack Obama At a time when popular solutions to the educational plight of poor children of color are imposed from the outside--national standards, high-stakes tests, charismatic individual saviors--the acclaimed Algebra Project and its founder, Robert Moses, offer a vision of school reform based in the power of communities. Begun in 1982, the Algebra Project is transforming math education in twenty-five cities. Founded on the belief that math-science literacy is a prerequisite for full citizenship in society, the Project works with entire communities--parents, teachers, and especially students--to create a culture of literacy around algebra, a crucial stepping-stone to college math and opportunity. Telling the story of this remarkable program, Robert Moses draws on lessons from the 1960s Southern voter registration he famously helped organize: "Everyone said sharecroppers didn't want to vote. It wasn't until we got them demanding to vote that we got attention. Today, when kids are falling wholesale through the cracks, people say they don't want to learn. We have to get the kids themselves to demand what everyone says they don't want." We see the Algebra Project organizing community by community. Older kids serve as coaches for younger students and build a self-sustained tradition of leadership. Teachers use innovative techniques. And we see the remarkable success stories of schools like the predominately poor Hart School in Bessemer, Alabama, which outscored the city's middle-class flagship school in just three years. Radical Equations provides a model for anyone looking for a community-based solution to the problems of our disadvantaged schools.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Foreword""; ""Part One: In the Spirit of Ella""; ""Algebra and Civil Rights?""; ""Learning from Ella""; ""Standin� at the Crossroads""; ""Part Two: Radical Equations""; ""Bouncing a Ball""; ""Pedagogy""; ""South Again""; ""Weldon, North Carolina""; ""Shaping Demand""; ""Appendix: Mathematics of Trips""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Index""

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-8070-3169-0

OCLC:

923137791